Solar power has long been viewed as an important alternative energy source. To this end, substantial efforts and investments have been made to develop and improve upon solar energy collection technology. Of particular interest are residential-, industrial- and commercial-type applications in which relatively significant amounts of solar energy can be collected and utilized in supplementing or satisfying power needs. One way of implementing solar energy collection technology is by assembling an array of multiple solar modules.
One type of a solar energy system is a solar module system. Solar modules may utilize various technologies and materials to produce energy from received sunlight. For example, one type of a solar module system is a solar photovoltaic system (“photovoltaic system”), which can employ solar panels made of silicon or other materials (e.g., III-V cells such as GaAs) to convert sunlight into electricity. Photovoltaic systems typically include a plurality of photovoltaic (PV) modules interconnected with wiring to one or more appropriate electrical components (e.g., switches, inverters, junction boxes, etc.). Another type of a solar module system is a photoelectrochemical module system, which can employ solar panels made from dye-sensitive solar cells.
A typical conventional PV module includes a PV laminate or panel having an assembly of crystalline or amorphous semiconductor devices (“PV cells”) electrically interconnected and encapsulated within a weather-proof barrier. One or more electrical conductors are housed inside the PV laminate through which the solar-generated current is conducted.
Oftentimes, PV modules are mounted on the roof or other inconvenient locations of structures, such as a residential house. As such, controlling the PV module to, for example, shut down the output of the PV module or modify its operation parameters can be difficult. For example, such modifications may require physically interacting with the PV module at its mounted location, which can be precarious given its location and/or due to other factors such as the present weather.